Over the past few years, major European watchmaking companies have been in a fierce competition to design the thinnest mechanical watches in the world. Since 2018, luxury brands like Bulgari, Piaget and Richard Mille have been breaking each other's records. Last April, Bulgari launched its slimmest watch ever, the 'Octo Finissimo Ultra Mark 2' at a sleek 1.7mm thick. An independent Russian watchmaker and inventor has perhaps outshone all the big name brands.
Russia's Konstantin Chaikin is developing a new prototype watch named 'Thinking'. He unveiled the watch at the Geneva Watch Days fair in Switzerland in August. This watch is only 1.65 millimeters thick (less than one twenty-fifth of an inch). He considers it one of the lightest watches in the world. It weighs only 13.3 grams without the strap.
Chaikin says the watch is designed to be slim without compromising on functionality. A rotating mechanism is added to its barrel. The watch features a 'double balance' wheel, which has helped reduce the number of levels the watch moves.
The watch's dial adjustment and rotation mechanisms are housed in a separate 5.4 mm thick carrier case. This frees up space inside the watch.
Chaikin said he has filed several patent applications. But none has been approved yet. The watch is made of stainless steel and tungsten carbide. This material is light but extremely strong. He is thinking of using sapphire or diamond in future versions.
Clocks have separate hour and minute hands. This design will have a little face shape on the watch. Each dial is protected by a 35 mm thick sapphire crystal coating.
Creating ultra-slim watches that are reliable, accurate and wearably durable is very difficult. But in the last few years, the competition to design the thinnest watches around the world has been accelerating.
In 2018, Swiss brand Piaget unveiled its 2-millimeter-thick 'Altiplano Ultimate Concept', the world's thinnest watch at the time. Two years later it started production. Then luxury giant Bulgari unveiled the first edition of its 'Octo Finissimo Ultra', which was just 1.8 millimeters thick. Then last April, Bulgari unveiled the sleek 1.7mm thick 'Octo Finissimo Ultra Mark 2' watch, priced at over $500,000.
Whether Chaikin's watch is the thinnest watch in the world is not yet certain. Because firstly, 'Thinking' is currently only a prototype. Second, its effectiveness and accuracy have yet to be independently evaluated.
The design is so slim that it needs a special strap to withstand the stresses of everyday use. The strap is made of titanium support and elastic insert.
Chaikin says 'hundreds of people' saw the watch at a fair in Geneva. He also said, 'At this fair, the visitors could hold the watch and see the time and check its performance.' The watch was working properly.
The 'Watches and Wonders' trade show will be held in Geneva next April. The organization will present a 'final' version of his design. By then the updated watch will have more accuracy, power saving and other features. However, the price of the watch is 'not yet known.'
In a separate statement, Chaikin said he founded his eponymous watch brand in 2003. His interest in thin watches was sparked when he came across a very thin 19th century 'bagnolet' pocket watch about 20 years ago.
References: CNN
